The next track of the forthcoming Kraut Sounds album, which will be released on the occasion of the 10th anniversary

Kraut Sounds - Adrift

NASHUA (7)

A cinematic, slow-burning soundscape that evolves from sparse ambience into a dense, retro-futuristic crescendo. It opens with atmospheric swells and a minimal bell motif, gradually introducing a steady 8th-note pulse and a wide, analog-style bass. Tension builds through layered textures, dramatic tom hits, and accelerating hi-hats. Near the peak, a nostalgic arpeggiated synth reminiscent of vintage sci-fi scores pushes the track to a powerful climax before resolving with restraint.

Rise Of The Shining Darkness

Max Ananyev is a composer and classical guitarist originally from Far Eastern-Russia, who currently resides in Saint-Petersburg. Max began studying and playing classical guitar in music school as a child, composing his own pieces from this early age. In the last 10 years, he has become increasingly focused in his work as a composer, with numerous albums and EPs, released on British labels Serein and Preserved Sound as well as Moscow’s Fancymusic.

His process for creating music is to schedule some time specifically to compose. He does not wait for inspiration to strike, instead allowing this to take place once his studio sessions begin. Time is all that is needed for the work to develop and it is timbre which is the target, so that specific sounds can be achieved. He prefers his recordings to flow into an album or record, rather than selecting the best sounds from a large pool of material.

Thematically, anything from the sunlight beaming onto the wall in a room, chance communications with people and traveling can influence Max as an artist. His unrelated studies at the time of recording subconsciously feel linked to this body of work somehow, with lectures on Renaissance alchemists, mythology, death and human evolution having been an area of research during this album’s production period. Nietzsche’s tightrope walker was also a poignant read at the time and purely by coincidence, the person in the cover image appears to be walking a tightrope. 

However, conceptually there is not a neatly mapped-out journey for the listener. Instead the asymmetric shapes of atmospheric sound and the names they have inherited, along with the cover artwork tell different stories as each track passes. Introductions, codes, different parts and moods unfurl carefully in the lightest breeze, like classical music. Midday creates a warm and restful environment for the listener to make sense of this collection of moods; a task made all too easy thanks to its shimmeringly adherent gathering of light sounds.

Written, Produced and Mastered by Max Ananyev
Photography by Natalia Poluyanova and Dmitriy Ratushniy
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Midday

wlr078 Max Ananyev - Midday

Hansei

BE GUIDED / GUIDE

Tangent - The Origin Of Structures

from 'Karma' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den345
available on all formats at http://denovali.com/mansur

MANSUR is the newly initiated project by Jason Kohnen (ex-The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble) joined by Dimitry El-Demerdashi (ex-Phurpa) and introducing Martina Hórvath on vocals. The sound of MANSUR navigates between the waters of musical fantasy and reality - it morphs and blends traditional instrumentation with modern day electronica.

Horváth, El-Demerdashi and Köhnen return to their otherworldly worldbuilding with their debut album ‘Karma’ on Denovali. MANSUR leads the listener into mystical and magical unknowns, that lie far past the realms of material perception.

As astronomer Carl Saga once wrote “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”.  Universal lessons of life, brought by teachings and teachers of ages. Unimaginary worlds in all our capacities of being created.  MANSUR is the transformational vessel guiding you to these non-physical realms. The realms you seek are already there, its up to you to find them.

Karma

Mansur - Memento Mori

This full version of OKADA's Mono No Aware was just a tad long for our 20th-anniversary compilation Twenty Years Away, so here is the full version which features a whole second half of raw emotional depth.

OKADA - Mono No Aware (Full Version)

Dutch composer Rutger Hoedemaekers makes his debut solo release with a stunning album that marks the culmination of a decade spent in the hyper-creative studio environment he co-founded in Berlin, including four years working closely alongside Jóhann Jóhannsson. Sonically rich, emotionally deep, and immaculately handled, 'The Age Of Oddities’ showcases a brilliant new talent, its cinematic eloquence bearing witness to Rutger’s experiences composing for film alongside Oscar-winner Hildur Guðnadóttir and Jóhannsson, for whom the album is partly a eulogy.

Whilst paying homage to Jóhannsson, ‘The Age Of Oddities’ sees Hoedemaekers forging his own sound and vision. It’s a bold and forward-thinking record, with a rich, hybrid sound seeing vocals processed and blurred alongside brass parts and a wall of strings shadowed by Rutger’s understated, textural electronics. Beautifully scored, immaculately performed and recorded, the album utilises the power of Budapest Art Orchestra’s 23-piece string ensemble conducted and co-orchestrated by Viktor Orri Árnason, alongside vocals (Kira Kira, Theatre of Voices’ Else Torp and Laura Jansen), horn (Morris Kliphuis), trombone (Hilary Jeffery) and violin (Una Sveinbjarnardóttir and Viktor Orri Árnason), with Hoedemaekers contributing trumpet, piano, keyboard and electronics.

Born out of a shared creative environment during a time of personal as well as social change, ‘The Age Of Oddities’ is a powerful and emotive work that closes a deeply productive yet also dark and heavy period for its creator.  It sees Hoedemaekers finally stepping out into the spotlight after many years working behind the scenes, revealing a hugely talented new composer who is surely one to watch in coming years.

The Age Of Oddities

pre-order

Rutger Hoedemaekers - Not For That Hour, Nor For That Place

n5MD is a record label based in Oakland CA that releases emotive styles of contemporary music.